


A Naptime Story

by isaymeow, Sonomichii



Series: The Sparrow and the Wolf [5]
Category: Hakuouki
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-04-30
Packaged: 2018-10-25 23:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10774284
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isaymeow/pseuds/isaymeow, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sonomichii/pseuds/Sonomichii
Summary: Story Type:One ShotDescription:Harada Sanosuke tried to put his son down for a nap, but he insists on hearing a story first.Warnings:None





	A Naptime Story

Shigeru flopped down on his dad’s lap, exhausted from running around hitting trees with his wooden sword. He let out a sigh,  **“Papa...why do I have to take a nap. I’m not sleepy!”** His face turned into a pout, he hated his afternoon naps and today was no exception.  **“At least tell  me a story first.”** This was usually his trick to get out of napping, and he wondered if it would work.

Sanosuke laughed as he held his son in his lap, he had long since learned his sons tricks by now, and was somewhat proud of him for figuring out how to manipulate situations to get what he wanted. In a way, Shigeru was learning way too quickly to be like himself and his friends, and he wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or not, but it made him laugh to himself.  **“Alright Shigeru, one story, but then you sleep.”** He laughed, playfully shaking his finger at the child. **“Your mom will be angry if you don’t.”** he ruffled the tot’s hair. **“What kind of story would you like to hear? Hm?”**

Shigeru grinned and curled up a little more, relaxing himself.  **“I want to hear a story about a brave samurai and maybe one of those pretty ladies Shin talks about...with lots of swords and bad guys getting beat up! Mom is good at other stories, but not those.”** He looked up in anticipation,  **“I promise I’ll go to bed after!”**

The redhead laughed, and thought of a story he could tell his son,  **“alright, but no Geisha,”** he shook his finger, chuckling a small bit.  **“Your mother would be very angry with me,”** and as if an afterthought,  **“nothing too violent either.”** he wasn’t clueless at this parenting thing as the others made him out to be.

**“Okay Papa, No Geisha since mama would get mad,”** he nodded,  **“maybe a Kami instead? Or a warrior princess!! Mama wouldn’t mind that!!!** ” At this point he knew the books his mother ready to him off by heart, so at this point something different would be all he wanted.  **“Oh and papa has to be the hero, ok?”**

**“Oh ho?”** he laughed lightly, he knew Shigeru idolized him, and was glad that his child did, but he had to wonder if he had these same qualifications when he demanded stories from Hitomi. He chuckled, as he edited in his head the story he had planned to tell the boy curled up in his lap. A hand fell in the boy’s hair once more, but this time it was to run through it, in a comforting sort of way.  **“Alright I think I’ve got it now, ready Shigeru?”**

**“I’m Ready Papa!”**

**“There was once a beautiful samurai princess,”** he spoke as he thought of exactly what Hitomi was to him, a smile coming to his face as he continued on with his story.

* * *

The princess chased after the criminals yelling,  **“Give me back my Katana, that doesn’t belong to you!”** She ran as fast as the wind, her long brown hair flying behind her as she kicked one of the men in the back. That sword was of great value to her, and she wasn’t going to let them have it.

**“No way, this is a dragon slaying Katana, you don’t even** **_deserve_ ** **to hold such a sword woman!”**

The princess landed a hard punch to his face, sending him flying into a tree,  **“Give it back, this is your last warning!”** Her brown eyes were calm and cool as she stared down her remaining to opponents who drew their own blades. Most thought she was defenseless, but she picked up a nearby shoot of dried bamboo breaking it into the length of a staff.  **“Fine, then prepare to face the samurai princess’s wrath!”** Her feet launched forward, taking her makeshift weapon straight towards them.

**“Well well,”** the red-headed ronin approached the fight, **“what do we have here?”** he asked playfully, it wasn’t the first time he’d been in the presence of the samurai princess, and he hoped it wouldn’t be the last… but that was for later. **“It looks like you are in a bit of trouble.”**  

He pulled out his spear, and stood in front of her, **“What have you gotten yourself into this time, little lady?”** he teased her as he shielded her from the attacks, knowing that piece of bamboo wasn’t going to last her much longer. 

The princess looked and it was none other than the wandering spearman who she had met several times before. She stubbornly stared at him for a moment before returning to battle,  **“I haven’t gotten into trouble, these thieves dared to steal from me!”** She used the bamboo pole to whap one of them in the head, knocking him out cold.  **“See I don’t need--”** Suddenly she felt the slice of a blade brush her arm, and she stumbled back falling to the ground.

**“This is quite the sword, now I see why you treasure it.”**

**“Don’t use that blade,”** the princess yelled while covering her wound,  **“It doesn’t belong in your foul hands!!!!”**

**“Oh really...then perhaps I should use it to take your tongue so I stop hearing this nonsense!”**

The wandering Samurai looked angrily at the man who had hurt the princess,  **“I don’t appreciate men waving swords around and harming beautiful women.”** he once again positioned himself so he was standing in front of her,  **“such a crime is punishable by death.”** he announced as he brought his spear down, and through the man's stomach.  **“Next time listen to the princess, when she tells you that you have something important.”**

He turned around to get a good look at her,  **“Here,”** he bent down and ripped a piece of fabric from his haori, and wrapped it around her arm,  **“Until I can bring you somewhere safe, this is the best I can do for now.”** he grinned at her. He didn’t even bother to listen to her complaints as he grabbed the sword from the dead man, and then scooped her up into his arms.  **“Where to little lady?”**

* * *

 

**“So Papa saved the princess, but what is the dragon sword for,”** Shigeru asked curiously,  **“It must be special if the princess has it!”** He looked up grinning, completely pleased with the story so far.  **“And where did they go next?”**

**“Yeah, I want to know more about this dragon slaying sword,”** Shinpachi said with a yawn while laying down on the porch with them, **“Don’t hold out on us Sano.”**

**“When did you get here?”** Sanosuke snorted,  **“Don’t you have rounds?”** he looked at his friend, who was currently probably slacking off. He knew Shinpachi was having trouble understanding the management of the Shinsengumi, and because of that, sometimes he’d flat out skip his rounds and play hookie.  **“You are teaching my son bad habits.”**

**“I am not, I ran practice this morning for Saitou so he and Heisuke could take Hitomi shopping remember?”** He yawned lazily,  **“So get back to the story already, you’re keeping me and Shigeru in suspense.”**

**“Pft.”** he snorted as he looked down at his son still curled in his lap,  **“Right, the sword.”** he thought about it a moment. **“There was an awful dragon, on a rampage in the next village over, and he was headed for the princesses village. She needed the sword to slay the dragon… however, only one person was able to properly wield it.”**

* * *

The princess insisted on walking the rest of the way to the village, gripping the sword tightly.  **“I hope that this blade truly is strong enough to cut through the dragon’s scales,”** she said quietly,  **“Everyone is depending on me, I have to slay it before anymore lives are lost.”** There was a sad, loneliness to the way she spoke. She may have been the samurai princess, but that didn’t mean she could just sit and look pretty -- it was her job to do all of the hard work.

He sighed, this girl had no idea at all what she was talking about, and yet she did at the same time. She was clearly an enigma before him, and yet he seemed annoyed by the fact that her people would treat her so poorly.  **“You aren’t alone anymore Hime.”** his voice shook, but only because he was afraid she’d reject his vow to protect her.  **“I’m here, and I’m not leaving you alone.”** he grinned at her, **“You’ll have to use that sword on me first.”**

The princess stopped in her tracks and looked up at him briefly,  **“You truly are persistent aren’t you?”** In a way, she was beginning to enjoy it, but then she thought back to her obligations and frowned.  **“You know I can’t even think about...I’m bound by duty…”** Her voice trailed off as the sadness spread.  **“I...well…,”** her voice stuttered,  **“I thank you for your kindness but...I’m sorry.”**

She hit him in the chest with the hilt of the sword, helping him down to the ground. She offered him a small kiss on his forehead, **“I really am sorry...but I can’t involve you in my mess. The dragon isn’t after the village...it’s after me.”** She sighed heavily standing back up, **“either I slay it or I become it’s slave forever.”** While she was hoping for the first part, she didn’t want to see him upset if she lost. She then took off through the woods to go face the dragon.

* * *

 

**“Woah, so the samurai princess didn’t want help and knocked out papa?”** Shigeru said confused,  **“why wouldn’t she get help?”** Shinpachi, still staring up at the rafters replied,  **“because she was a strong, selfless woman who was willing to suffer for the sake of those she cared about...right Sano?”**

He took a deep breath, remembering all the things his Tsuma had been through. This story… while changing the setting and making it more like a fairytale...it was still in a way  _ their story _ … it was still  _ her story. _ He let his breath out and looked his son in the eyes and gave him a soft smile,  **“Right Shin. Shigeru, some women… are so strong, that no matter how hard you try to help them, they will never allow you to do so, because they believe in their heart that they are protecting you from harm.”** he explained.  **“They don’t always understand how absolutely dangerous it can be though, and because of that, you have to fight harder for them.”**

**“Oh, I think I get it papa, so they both want to protect each other,”** he said,  **“So did she beat the dragon?”**

**“Well,”** he paused for a moment,  **“That’s where the story becomes tricky.”** he ruffled the boy's hair as he continued.

* * *

The wandering samurai woke up in the middle of the forest, he told her if she was able to use that sword on him, he’d let her go. Laughing he sit up and rubbed his head, he couldn't have been out for long because he could still feel the warmth of her lips where she’d kissed him. **“Oh Hime.”** he sighed, he knew exactly what she’d done, and for a moment he could even reason with it, but he wasn’t going to let her get away with it. She was going to be his, but not forcefully, he’d win her over...but first he had to figure out where she had gone.

The princess returned to the village, but much to her surprise when she brought the sword she wasn’t praised for it, instead it was taken from her. They turned on the princess, and dropped the sword on the ground, handing her over to the dragon in order to save their own skins. Once the dragon had his prize he left to return to his cave in the mountains.

Finally once the wandering samurai found the princess’s village, he heard a tale of her being handed over to the dragon, and demanded they hand over the sword. **“Have you no pride?”** he asked angrily, stealing it away from the village elders hands, demanding to know the clearest path to the dragon's cave.  **“When I slay this dragon, and I bring her back safely, you will owe me a great debt.”** he announced in great annoyance, then left up the mountain.  **“Hime, I have come for you!”**

The princess was stuck in the grasp of the dragon, it’s claws holding her tightly.  **“No, you have to run, if he wakes up and finds you here you’ll die!”** She looked at him sadly, and didn’t want to see him harmed for her sake. The villagers were right and she deserved this fate.  **“Please run from here while you still can!”**

The dragon stirred, smelling the scent of another and let out a terrifying roar. It stood up, clasping the princess in his hand even tighter.  **_“Mine”_ ** was the only words spoken by the large dragon as he readied himself to attack.

The wandering samurai snorted lightly,  **“except you have forgotten something very important.”** while he never did like the existence of swords, he unsheathed the dragon slaying sword and held it up.  **“While the villagers might have given up on this, I believe in it, as well as myself. I will walk away with the Samurai princess.”** he swung it in the air a few times to get use to the feel of the smaller weapon in his hands. **“I will bring peace to her village, and I will gain her trust.”**

Once he was ready, he charged the dragon and sliced at him saying bitterly,  **“Have you not caused her enough pain?”** finally he reached up a bit higher stabbing him in the heart.  **“You cannot keep her.”** he watched as the dragon turned to ash and the princess fell to the ground.

The princess gasped for air, finally freed from the evil creature who terrorized her and the village for years.  **“I knocked you out, and you still came for me,”** she laughed slightly,  **“you really are a stubborn wandering samurai aren’t you?”**

* * *

 

 **“Ew, papa they didn’t kiss did they?”** Shigeru asked as his face turned sour, **“I don’t want to hear that stuff...”** Shinpachi started laughing, but kept his mouth shut in order to avoid a smack from his best friend.

He looked at Shinpachi and thought about how to answer his son, he could tell him many things, but the thing he really wanted to tell him was that this was how he’d met his mother.  **“No, Shigeru,”** he laughed lightly,  **“they didn’t kiss.”** he sighed and hugged the boy close to him, if he hadn’t of met Hitomi, he _ they _ hadn’t suffered through all of that… if  _ she _ hadn’t of suffered through everything… Shigeru wouldn’t exist in this world, thinking about it made him momentarily sad, lonely even for her.    
  
**“Alright Shigeru, you better go to sleep now,”** he placed a kiss on his son’s forehead,  **“I think I hear your mama’s footsteps.”**

**“Okay papa, thanks for the story,”** The boy nodded and headed straight to their room, curling up on the futon and closing his eyes. He then slipped off to sleep, dreaming about slaying a dragon to protect Chizuru, Sen, and his mama.

**“I think it was a good story,”** Hitomi smiled as she poked her head around the corner playfully.  **“Shinpachi go help Heisuke-kun and Saitou-san with the supplies.”** The tall man stood up slowly, knowing better than to refuse her request,  **“Alright Hitomi, I’m going.”** He slunk away with a pout, making her giggle before she sat down next to her husband.  **“Well, you got him to go to sleep, I’m impressed...do you want to take over all his naptime stories?”**

He thought about it for a moment,  **“Hmm, I’m not sure if my stories are appropriate for him Tsuma,”** he laughed lightly, as he pulled her into his arms.  **“If I knew you were listening I would have stopped sooner.”** he sighed, brushing a hand through her brunette locks.  **“However, he kept asking questions, so I guess I couldn’t have if I wanted too.”** he chuckled.  

**“It’s fine Sanosuke,”** she smiled as she rested against him,  **“He needed some time with you, and I didn’t want to interrupt.”** Hitomi let out a tired sigh,  **“though I’m jealous, after all that work I want a nap now.”** She laughed quietly, careful not to be too loud and wake their son. Her body snuggled up closer to him as she let out a yawn,  **“I think the samurai princess may just fall asleep right here next to her wandering samurai.”**

**“Hmm, I think the wandering samurai would be alright with his Hime falling asleep on him,”** he smiled down at her.  **“As long as he knew she was safe.”** he pulled her close to him, and placed a kiss on her forehead.


End file.
